Hear Her Sports

Erica Vanstone is the Executive Director of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), the international governing body for the sport of roller derby. The WFTDA's mission is to revolutionize women-led and gender-expansive-led spaces in sport. With an undergraduate degree from NYU Film, Erica used her communications and production experience in founding WFTDA.tv, the WFTDA's first broadcast program. She later earned a Master’s of Science in Sports Business from Temple University, and has secured partnerships with organizations such as ESPN, UN Women, Twitch.tv, and the BBC. Most recently, in 2020, Erica worked with community epidemiologists to develop comprehensive COVID-19 Guidelines for Return-to-Play featured on Samantha Bee's "Full Frontal," and established the ART Project, an organization-wide anti-racism re-envisioning process to dismantle racism in the WFTDA. Based in Philadelphia, PA, she skates for Philly Roller Derby, and coaches in the organization's youth program, Philly Roller Derby Juniors.

Team USA Cyclocross rider Clara Honsinger grew up riding mountain bikes on the trails behind her home in Oregon and started racing bikes as a teenager with the guidance of a high school teacher. After moving to Portland, OR for school, she discovered cyclocross and was immediately hooked on the physical and technical challenge of the sport. In 2019, she won the US Elite Women National Championships as a first-year elite and then joined the Cannondale CyclocrossWorld.com team. In the 20-21 season she earned two UCI Cyclocross World Cup Podiums and finished fourth overall in the World Cup final standings. Clara ended her stellar season with a fourth-place finish at the World Championships. Clara will be racing on the road with Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank in 2021. Beyond cycling, she is finishing her undergraduate degree in Nutrition at Oregon State University and enjoys exploring farmer's markets and neighborhood gardens in her free time.

Khadijah Diggs is a Triathlete on TEAM USA, a mother, and works full time. Her mission is to promote a positive image of Muslim women and Islam in general through sport. Khadijah competed in her first Triathlon in 2012 as part of an initiative for her Sorority. Since then, she has entered more than 40 events and successfully completed all but one of them. She is currently ranked in the top 5% of her age group by Ironman Triathlon and is also the first African American woman to represent Team USA in Long Course Triathlon and the first Muslim to represent Team USA in any multisport event.

CEO and Founder of Just Women’s Sports, Haley Rosen received a BA and an MA from Stanford University, where she played as a midfielder for the Cardinal soccer team. After a brief professional soccer career in both the US and abroad, Haley returned to the Bay Area, where she first worked in tech before founding Just Women’s Sports. Her goal is for the digital platform is to create equal representation of women in sports. Like Hear Her Sports, Haley often cites the stat that 44% of athletes are women and only 4% of sports media coverage.

In addition to talking about the state of women’s sports right now, the incredible opportunities in the field, and how exciting and marvelous we find female athletes, Haley shares her personal stories of a soccer career cut short due to injury.

Ice Hockey super star Brianna Decker has been playing hockey at the International level for almost twenty years. She generously shares stories of playing ice hockey with her brothers, USA Hockey team camps, lessons from the Olympics, and the future for young hockey players.

Brianna represented USA in two Olympic Games where she won gold in 2018 and silver in 2014, played in seven World Championships (winning gold in six of those) and ten Four Nations Cups and one Twelve Nations Invitational Tournament Series. She is also a two-time winner of the Bob Allen Women’s Player of the Year Award and two-time CWHL Clarkson Cup winner. In 2016 Brianna helped the Boston Pride win the Isobel Cup, was two-time NWHL Most Valuable Player, 2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, and played on the University of Wisconsin Division 1 National Championship team in 2011. Brianna also coaches for U.S. Under-18 Women's National Team and created the Brianna Decker Endowment for Girls Hockey.

Brianna is currently playing with the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) Calgary Region team.

With Dr. Kirstin Lauritzen we talk basics of the immune system, the gut, how male and female immune systems differ, and what you can do to build resiliency. Dr K is a Functional Medicine Practitioner in Wilsonville, Oregon. Her doctorate is in Chiropractic and she holds a Masters in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine. She is the founder of NW functional Medicine - a health care clinic that incorporates massage, Chiropractic, Rehab and Functional Medicine. She is also the founder of DrKirstin.com where she shares current research, articles and recipes to encourage and inspire athletes to go further with their performance and health. Dr K specializes in helping female athletes fix and prevent nutrient deficiencies so they can optimize their performance, longevity in their sport, reduce risk of injury and promote a healthy body. She is a Triathlete and is currently training for the Coure D’Alene Ironman!

Brandie Wilkerson started playing beach volleyball in 2013 after being inspired while watching the 2012 London Olympics. While she had a later start than most, her successful indoor volleyball career as a 4-time All-Star opposite hitter at York University helped her quickly adjust to the game. She made her first AVP appearance in 2017 working her way from a low-ranked qualifier team in Huntington to, eventually, the Manhattan Beach Open Finals. From there, she’s posed a threat in the Main Draw, both on AVP and the FIVB World Tour, winning FIVB World’s Best Blocker in 2018. Her team is currently ranked #7 in the world and plans to compete for Canada in the Tokyo Olympics. 

Brandie Wilkerson was born in Lausanne, Switzerland to a native Swiss mother and a Texan father. She was raised in Toronto, Canada. As a multi-racial female athlete, Brandie has fallen in love with the power beach volleyball has in bringing a deeply diverse world together in a fierce, fun, competitive, entertaining, and empowering way that goes beyond the sport.

Open water swimmer Catherine Breed swims fast for long distances in lakes and oceans. She holds four open water records, two USMS national records, and has solid goals for many more.

Catherine raced (in a pool), very successfully, for both UC Berkeley and the US National team. After graduating, she joined the Dolphin Club in San Francisco. On September 21st she completed the 25 mile swim across Monterey Bay, which she did in 12 hours and 42 minutes, setting a new record. She is only the sixth person (five of which were women) to make the swim. Her first ultra-marathon swim was crossing Lake Tahoe in 2017, where she beat both the men’s and the women’s records. Just a few months ago in October she was part of a record-breaking relay team in the Uberman Triathlon. Catherine is passionate about swimming and about making it accessible to all people. The water is a calming place for her and a safe haven. She believes everyone deserves that opportunity regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status.

Talya Minsberg is an Assistant Sports Editor at New York Times. Previously, Talya worked as an editor on NYT’s Social team and for Special Projects. During that time, she spearheaded the newsroom’s social coverage at the Pyeongchang Olympics. Looking for great stories at the intersection of sports and society, she writes about a range of men’s and women’s sports. In the episode, Talya shares topics and athletes she’s looking forward to following in 2021, athletic drive, and advice for young journalists. Talya is a runner and surfer.

Megan Fisher is a Multiple Medal Winner in Paralympic Cycling at both London and Rio Olympics and is a 10x World Champion. She’s now a Certified Athletic Trainer, specializing in Sports Medicine with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Meg also has credentials as USA Cycling Level 3 Coach and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).

But Meg’s road to success has not been easy. In 2002, she was involved in a tragic car accident that resulted in the amputation of her left leg, significant brain injury, and a week in a coma on a ventilator. Meg’s life’s work has been to help others unlock the potential in their bodies and develop resilience so that the stresses of time and age are less diminishing.